Honoring Paul Kawata

Christopher Bates, HHS/OHAP; Suki Terada Ports, Family Health Project; and Paul Kawata, Executive Director of NMAC. Photo courtesy of NMAC.

On Thursday, October 29, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, together with the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) and Transgender Law Center (TLC), honored Paul Kawata for his twenty years of service at the helm of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC).

Presenting the award were Lance Toma of A&PI Wellness Center, Ed Tepporn of APIAHF and Masen Davis of TLC. On hand to talk about Paul’s commitment to fighting HIV and AIDS were Christopher Bates, Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (OHAP) and Suki Terada Ports, Executive Director of Family Health Project of New York.

“Paul has always been our champion,” said Mr. Bates. “We can in all honesty say that he really is “Mr. AIDS.’ He has been our voice and he represented all of us. He did it with dignity, integrity, fortitude, and most of all, commitment to us and commitment to the epidemic. We are in great debt to Paul Kawata.”

The ceremony was held at Given,the shop that housed slain San Francisco Supervisor and gay activist Harvey Milk’s camera shop in San Francisco’s Castro District. On accepting the award, Mr. Kawata reflected on his time in the Castro: “When I was a little queen, I used to march up and down this street, and I cut my teeth on 18th and Castro. This is such an important city in my life, and my growing up and I am so glad that all of you are here.”

Mr. Kawata also discussed his twenty years of work in the HIV/AIDS field and his personal losses in the epidemic. In 1993, a close HIV+ friend passed away: “There have been difficult times. 1993 was one of the worst years of my life. I didn’t think I was going to get through it, and it was my friends in this room who really reached out to me and got me through the darkest moments of my life.”

Masen Davis, Transgender Law Center; Laura Thomas, Drug Policy Alliance Network and A&PI Wellness Center Board Member; and Cecilia Chung, Chair of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

Greg Millett, White House Office of National AIDS Policy; George Ayala, Global Forum on MSM & HIV; Dr. Tri Do, A&PI Wellness Center Board Member; and Lina Sheth, A&PI Wellness Center.

Lance Toma, A&PI Wellness Center; Ed Tepporn, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum; and Masen Davis, Transgender Law Center.

Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center is proud to announce that in addition to the scheduled A&PI Institute at the United States Conference on AIDS 2009 (USCA), three of our presentation proposals were accepted for the conference. If you are attending the conference, we encourage you to stop by the Institute and these presentations that highlight the work we do! Check out the schedule below:

THURSDAY
A&PI Institute
8:30 AM–12:30 PM, Room TBA
Be sure to stop by the A&PI Institute for a panel discussion featuring executive directors from A&PI organizations from across the nation. The discussion will focus on the current challenges and emerging opportunities around HIV and the A&PI community. This institute is organized by Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center and Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

FRIDAY
Successful Treatment Training Model for HIV/AIDS Service Providers Working with Communities of Color: California Statewide Treatment Education Program (CSTEP)
10:45 AM–12:45 PM, Imperial A, Ballroom Level
Presented by Jane Dalugdugan, this session will discuss CSTEP’s 12-year history and successes in training over 2000 providers across California to better serve PLWHA, linking clients to early treatment and care.

FRIDAY
Holistic HIV Prevention with Transgender Communities of Color: T-LISH, TRANS:THRIVE and the ATE Program
3:00 PM–5:00 PM, Union Square 3 & 4, Fourth Floor
Nikki “Tita Aida” Calma and Luke Woodward will showcase A&PI Wellness Center’s transgender programs, including interventions that develop social networks that provide emotional and practical support, coping skills and behavioral strategies to reduce drug use and HIV risk behaviors, and seek alternatives to reliance on sex work and drug use.

SATURDAY
Evaluating the Adaptation & Tailoring of POL for MSM Asian & Pacific Islanders in San Francisco
2:45 PM–4:45 PM, Room TBA
In this session, presented by Alex Baty and Lance Dwyer, adapting and tailoring an effective behavioral intervention will be discussed, including challenges and barriers to implementation, the importance of monitoring and evaluation, as well as successes of this adaptation.

SPECIAL EVENT: FRIDAY
San Francisco Icons & Heroes
6:45 PM–8:30 PM, Glide Memorial Church
As part of the USCA Host Committee, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center is proud to have collaborated with other Host Committee members on producing “San Francisco Icons & Heroes,” a reception celebrating those who made history in leading the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement, paving the way for the city’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The evening will include a special Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar commemorating all those we have lost to HIV/AIDS. Food and refreshments will be served.

Download a copy of our presentation schedule!

Find out more about USCA by visiting the National Minority AIDS Council’s USCA web site.